First-year undergraduate business students’ choice of different sources of learning support for assumed math skills

• Main Authors: Anne Gleeson, Greg Fisher, Saib Dianati, Nicholas Smale
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2019-01-01
• Series: Cogent Education
• Subjects: assumed skills; math skills; learning support services; academic skills support; support-seeking behavior; help seeking behaviour
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2019.1616654

This paper explores the choice of math skills learning support by an undergraduate student cohort of Commerce and Business students at Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia. A survey methodology was used to determine the support students sought for the assumed math skills for a mandatory first-year microeconomics subject. The majority of respondents (71%; 120 of n = 169) sought support outside of class for their math skills during the semester. The major source of support was from informal networks of friends and family (62% of respondents), with 40% of respondents seeking help from only this source. University support services from the centrally provided learning center and individual tutoring at course and subject level, were used by 31.4% of respondents, with a minority (8.9%) of respondents utilizing only University support. Students who only used their informal networks for math learning support were more likely to have a recent high school graduate profile, and students using university learning support services were more likely to fit a more diverse entry pathway profile. Recommendations for math skills support include the communication of assumed skills explicitly, early self-assessment of assumed skills through diagnostic tests, the institution of a peer learning strategy and the creation of online learning resources.